Product description

The international bestseller about life, the universe and everything. When 14-year-old Sophie encounters a mysterious mentor who introduces her to philosophy, mysteries deepen in her own life. Why does she keep getting postcards addressed to another girl? Who is the other girl? And who, for that matter, is Sophie herself? To solve the riddle, she uses her new knowledge of philosophy, but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined. A phenomenal worldwide bestseller, SOPHIE'S WORLD sets out to draw teenagers into the world of Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel and all the great philosophers. A brilliantly original and fascinating story with many twists and turns, it raises profound questions about the meaning of life and the origin of the universe.

Author information

Jostein Gaarder was born in Oslo in 1952. Sophie's World, the first of his books to be published in English, has been translated into 60 languages and has sold over 40 million copies. He is the author of many other bestselling, beloved novels and children's books, including The Orange Girl, The Christmas Mystery and The Ringmaster's Daughter. He lives in Oslo with his family.

Review quote

A simply wonderful, irresistible book DAILY TELEGRAPH A unique popular classic THE TIMES

Editorial reviews

Fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen finds two questions in her mailbox: 'Who are you?' and 'Where does the world come from?'. This lights a blaze of curiosity in her brain. She soon becomes involved in a tour through Western philosophy guided by a mysterious mentor, Alberto Knox. Originally intending to write a school book for young people, Norwegian philosophy teacher Jostein Gaarder found himself creating a fantasy whereby Sophie and Alberto begin to doubt their own material existence. Why does Sophie receive letters addressed to a girl called Hilde? Woven into an admirably accessible short history of Western philosophy is a mystery story about Sophie, a lively schoolgirl and Hilde, her alter ego. The result is a remarkable book with overtones of Lewis Carroll and Tom Stoppard, which headed bestseller lists around the world. (Kirkus UK)